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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — to bear
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. board — to get on
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rest — a break
  10. bound — certain
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com